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Moondust: In Search of the Men Who Fell to Earth

Author: Andrew Smith
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Category: Book

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Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

52 reviews
Sales Rank: 36122

Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 0.8

ISBN: 0747563691
EAN: 9780747563693
ASIN: 0747563691

Publication Date: January 6, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: In stock - Immediate despatch from an efficient and professional leading British bookselling firm.

Customer Reviews:

Showing reviews 6-10 of 52

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Experiences as varied as human life on earth September 17, 2007
Andrew Smith tracks down nine surviving moonwalkers, to learn of their experiences in the Apollo Moon Programme. He reveals the characters and personal politics involved, in prose not unlike a travel journal, which works well enough. The astronauts' responses to their unique journey are as varied as their personalities themselves -- just like real, human life back here on earth.

5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant writing from an observers view... June 29, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I thought this book was simply brilliant, I am the same age as the author and could almost tangibly relate to his personal recollections; I have often looked at the moon and wondered why it all came to an abrupt halt and vividly remember watching the black & white box and feeling that mankind was on the brink of something really exciting, the whole Apollo adventure drew people together in a sort of 'politics of hope' as opposed to the fear we now live with which has almost become mundane. I have two daughters and feel truly sorry that in their lives (they are teenagers) they have never had the chance to witness true adventure that did not fall into the utterly 'virtual' bracket.

3 out of 5 stars

Timely reminder May 4, 2007
1 out of 7 found this review helpful

This is a book that could have been better written and undoubtedly carries more of the writers slightly paranoid and defensive worries about what astronauts think of HIM than insights into the astronauts themselves but it grabs your attention and it reminds you, viscerally, of what those moon landings meant to a particular generation and how that dream has evolved or died. It's like having a slightly annoying, self obsessed friend grab your sleeve in a bar and start talking excitedly about their memories of the space programme. Read it to remember your own excitement THEN read Andrew Chaikin's 'A man on the Moon' if you want a more engaging and detailed insight.

5 out of 5 stars

Good Reading April 15, 2007
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

I am surprised by some of the criticism about this book being to focussed on the author's life and not on those of the astronauts. Yes there is frequent comment about the author's journey in search of the moonwalkers - but that's the point! By using himself as a narrative device he can provide crititcal thinking on what he sees while also highlighting how difficult it can to find the survivors. He was one of the baby boomers that grew up in the US and saw the Apollo landings as a child. He is from the same generation that had such high hopes for the future but then saw it fade away as the Apollo missions were cancelled and the dream died. He is perfectly placed to comment on what he seems to view as a major cultural event more than a major technical acheivement in space flight.

I thought it was a fantastic read which had a lot to say about both the past and present of human space flight in all its dimensions. Well worth the five stars.

1 out of 5 stars

A cheap excuse for the author's own story April 15, 2007
3 out of 13 found this review helpful

This should have been a great book had the author not taken us through his own life as well. He may well be an interesting person with recollections of his own but that is not what the book says on the tin. There are some interesting encounters in the book which are worth reading. Other encounters are nothing more than a 15 minute meeting at a memorabilia fayre, hardly the most intimate or complete of engagements. Some interesting points on Neil Armstrong but nothing of major substance - like an interwiew! Buy a different book. There are plenty to choose and this one is a wasted opportunity for a great idea.